Dog owners in Lake Bluff can get their pets certified as therapy dogs for free through classes at Beowoof Provisions for Pets, part of a growing nonprofit that already has more than 20 teams visiting local schools and community events.

Homegrown Therapy Dogs, launched in 2022 by Pritchett Elementary second-grade teacher Melissa Fasuna, is open to adults 18 and older with dogs at least one year old. Training, testing and first-year certification are free for participants, according to a Beowoof Provisions for Pets promotion for the classes. The program is based in Aptakisic-Tripp School District 102 in Buffalo Grove but now serves communities beyond that district.

All teams are certified and insured through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, an international nonprofit registry that handles evaluation, background checks, registration and insurance.

Fasuna started bringing therapy dogs into her classroom for reading sessions before the pandemic, watching students grow more confident with a calm dog beside them. She formally launched the nonprofit in 2022 with startup funding from a Schools and Community Outreach by Educators grant through the Illinois Education Association, as the Chicago Tribune reported in February 2023.

"When they read with the kids, the kids build confidence, reading scores improve and the dogs are there to provide comfort," Fasuna told the Tribune at the time, when the program was still called Homegrown Reading Dogs and focused on literacy support.

The scope has since widened. Therapy dog teams now greet families at Meet the Teacher events, welcome children on the first day of school, ease anxiety during parent-teacher conferences and appear at PTO and community gatherings. At the Vernon Township Community Mental Health Board's April 16 meeting, Fasuna thanked the board for a grant and reported the program continues to grow.

Her original 2023 training cohort included 15 District 102 staff members and their dogs, who trained over eight weeks with a local Alliance of Therapy Dogs tester. Fasuna's own basset hound, Mollie, was part of that first group. So was Francesca Ogilvie, a SEEK teacher at Pritchett, and her Jack Russell Terrier mix, Max.

The program keeps teams active. To remain certified, each dog-handler pair must complete at least one in-person volunteer visit every three months.

Dog owners interested in getting certified, or families and organizations wanting to request a therapy dog visit, can reach Homegrown Therapy Dogs at [email protected], as listed on the District 102 website.